Pirates of the Caribbean: Revenge of the Damned
by Andi de Tarauger
Summary: A year and a half after PotC. A pregnant Elizabeth has been kidnapped, and it's up to Will and a mysterious girl from his past to find the man who can help save her...Captain Jack Sparrow...
1. The Visitor

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A/N: OK...this fic used to be up, but then it got taken down by the ff.net people. *shakes fist* Anyway...it's an old fic, but I love it and really want to continue it. ^^ So here goes.

PotC is owned by Disney. Everyone save Rose does not, alas, belong to me, though I desperately wish Captain Jack Sparrow did. Ah well, a girl can dream…

Anyway…you know the drill. I love reviews, I love constructive criticism, I hate flames. Savvy? Enjoy. ^.~ (and yes, the title's under construction *g*)

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~*~ Pirates of the Caribbean: Revenge of the Damned ~*~

~ Chapter One: The Visitor ~

It was a dark, stormy night. The winds were high, the rain pouring, and the cloud covering so thick that no moonlight had a chance of piercing it. It was dark, gloomy, and damp — one of the (thankfully rare) worst kinds of evenings you could imagine. It was horrible if you were outside, but actually quite lovely if you were inside, in front of a warm fireplace, like Elizabeth and William Turner.

Will, seated in a large armchair with a book in his hands, looked across the room at his wife, who was sewing. Looking up from her work, she smiled at him, and he smiled back. They'd been married less than half a year, and there was still that special spark of love between them. After their adventure at sea with cursed pirates, they had settled down in a fairly large house. Will had kept up with his work as a blacksmith, earning a fair wage, while Elizabeth's father, the governor of Port Royale, was always eager to do something for the young couple. Their lives weren't perfect, of course, but they had greatly improved, and were at a point where both Elizabeth and Will enjoyed themselves.

Will had returned to his book and Elizabeth to her sewing when there was a knock on the door. One of the maids went to answer it. Distracted by the knock, Will had barely gotten back to his book when a gasp and a shriek of "Lord have mercy!" made both him and his wife look up, alarmed. Seconds later, the maid dashed into the room, her eyes wide with fear and horror. "Milady…Mr. Turner! You must…you must come see…!"

The urgent note in the woman's tone brought both Will and Elizabeth to their feet. Will got to the door first – and stopped several feet away from the door, freezing with shock.

At the door was a girl, looking to be in her teens. She was extremely wet and shivering, but that wasn't what shocked Will. The girl was covered with bruises, cuts, and wounds – her clothes were almost completely torn away, and blood seeped through the cloth that remained. A large gash covered half her face; another matted her hair with blood. She looked extremely weak and it was obviously costing her effort just to stand up.

"Will, what – oh my." Elizabeth's inquiry was cut short as she, too, caught sight of the girl. Pity, worry, and concern marked her beautiful features.

The girl raised her head – she also had a nasty-looking black eye. She stumbled inside; anxious maids hovered around her and Will took several strides forward. She looked up at Will with a starved, empty look in her eyes.

"H…help…" she muttered faintly, stumbling forward again. She raised her eyes to meet Will's, and he was flooded with pity for the girl. "I…w – water," she whispered, then let out her breath and fainted. Will leapt forward to catch her, and was surprised at how light she was.

"Get some food…set it up in the dining room! Some water, some salve, cloths, bandages…hurry!" The urgency in Will's tone made the maids scatter. Elizabeth followed as he carried the girl into their spare room.

"The poor girl looks half-dead." Elizabeth's tone was motherly and sympathetic. "She's in a right state…I wonder what happened to her…"

"So do I," Will commented softly. "She doesn't look too much younger than you."

"Fifteen or sixteen, I'd say," was Elizabeth's verdict as she walked around the girl to take inventory of her wounds. "Whatever it was she fought with, it put up a good fight. I'll clean her wounds and give her clean clothes…you'll watch her for the night, give her food and water." Will nodded and left the room as a maid came in with hot water and bandages.

~*~*~

Later on in the night, Will was sitting on a chair next to the girl's bed, studying her thoughtfully. Without her own clothes, she looked older, though no more than sixteen. She wasn't particularly attractive, but there was something about her distinct features that gave her an unusual, unique beauty. She had dark, chin-length hair that had been messy, dirty and matted with blood, but it looked a lot better after Elizabeth has washed it. Her figure was slim, slightly thinner than what was healthy. Her old clothes had been burned after Elizabeth declared them unfit for anyone to survive in. She had dressed the girl in the plainest pair of pants and blouse she owned; as she told Will, the girl didn't look like the type to take kindly to a dress.

Her bruises and cuts, thankfully, ended up looking a lot worse than they really were. Her legs and arms were mottled with the blue and purple marks, and joined by several nasty cuts. Elizabeth had cleaned and bound the worst of them, as well as the gash on her cheek. The one in her head ended up being fairly shallow, to the relief of both Turners. Her hands and fingers were callused, blistered, and rough; Elizabeth had bandaged them.

Sitting on a table next to the girl was the assortment of weapons that she'd been carrying; two pistols, a sword, two knives, and four daggers, all concealed on various places of her body. There was also a small medallion with the engraving of an eye, hanging on a thin gold chain – it had been around her neck.

There was something familiar about the girl. Will couldn't put his finger on it, but he had the strangest feeling that he'd met her before. He hadn't, of course – that he was sure of. But the girl's features looked distinctively like those of someone he knew he'd met.

As Will studied the girl's face thoughtfully, she gave a sharp twitch. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she moaned softly before opening them. She groaned and put her hand to her forehead, then turned to look at Will. Her wide eyes were a cloudy grey color. Softly, she stammered, "Who…who are you? Wh-where am I?"

"My name is Will Turner," Will said, keeping his voice gentle and calm. "You're in Port Royale, in my house. Are you all right?"

"Mmmm…guess so, mate." The girl groaned again, propping herself up on her elbows. "I feel…like crap, but I guess 'll live." Her voice was light and pleasant, but with traces of a rough accent, which also sounded strangely familiar. Will's brain was searching desperately – who did this girl remind him of so?

Said girl's eyes suddenly went from cloudy grey to a darker, focused color and opened wider. "Where'd you say I was, Mr. Turner?"

Slightly surprised by the sudden urgency in her voice, Will replied, "At my home…in Port Royale."

The girl groaned loudly. "Port Royale? And in your 'ome? Oh, blast, I have to go…" She made an attempt to sit up, but cried out in pain and, placing her hand to her head, moved back down.

Will, getting to his feet, moved to her side. "You're not going anywhere." His voice was gentle, but firm. "You took a pretty bad beating, and you're hurt."

She smiled again. "Yeah, but you should see th' other fellows." Wincing again, she placed a hand to the bandage on her cheek, which had become soaked with blood.

Will took it off and dipped a clean cloth into water, wiping it across her cheek. She winced again, then sighed in relief. "That's going to scar," he said softly, turning to dress the wound.

The girl let out a noise of protest. "I can't, Mr. Turner…I can't stay…'ve burdened you and your wife enough already." Her face was apologetic. "If you'll let me up 'll go and be no bother to you anymore."

"You're no bother, you can't go anywhere looking like this, and call me Will." Will smiled at her. "Plus, you need some food, and a good night's sleep."

"Food?" He saw the girl's eyes go wide. "You…you'll give me some, Mr. Turner?"

"That's what I said…and call me Will." Will smiled as the girl struggled to get to her feet, and held out his arm. She grabbed it and propped herself up, following him to the dining room.

"What's your name?" Will asked as they walked.

The girl paused, then rolled up her right sleeve. On her upper arm was the small tattoo of a rose, the stem curling down several inches.

"Rose?" Will hazarded with a grin.

The girl nodded, her face serious. "Yeah. Call me Rose."

~*~*~

As Rose dug into the food ravenously, Will talked to her, and she replied between bites. He learned that she was almost sixteen and from Tortuga; that her mother had died almost a year ago; that she'd gotten beat up in a fight of some sort; and that she was searching for her father, who was a pirate. Will had curiously inquired about her father, but the subject was obviously a sensitive one for Rose; she refused to touch on it more than she already had.

Once she finished eating enough food for three people, Rose let out a huge yawn. "Ah…so good to 'ave a decent meal fer once."

"You look tired," Will said with a smile. He'd come to like the girl's bravado, quirky sense of humor, and honest, accented speech. "Here, I'll help you back to your room. Feeling any better?"

"Yeah." Rose smiled sleepily then looked up at Will, her grey eyes shining earnestly. "Thank ye, Will. You an' your wife have helped me so much…ye didn't have to do anythin'. Anyone else would've left me to die. Thanks…"

Will smiled at her again. "You're welcome, Rose." He helped her into the bed and, sighing, she settled back onto the pillows.

"I feel a lot better," she announced, turning to Will. He blew out the candle and settled into a chair to sleep himself.

"G'night, Will," said Rose sleepily as she turned over and closed her eyes.

"Good night, Rose," Will said softly, turning away himself Right before he fell asleep, it suddenly hit him who it was Rose reminded him so much of…

~*~*~

The sunlight streaming through the window onto his face woke Will up in the morning. He was slightly annoyed to find he'd completely forgotten who Rose reminded him of. Figuring he'd remember once he saw the girl again, he turned to her bed.

It was empty.

Will blinked, then turned to the table next to the bed, where Rose's sword, knives, daggers, pistols, and medallion had been. The table was still there, but the weapons and necklace were not. Will's brain registered it a second before his heart admitted it.

Rose was gone.

While trying to process this, why she would do it, and why he didn't think she would do it, Will noticed a piece of paper on Rose's bed. Walking over to it curiously, he picked it up. It was written in a messy hand, with several mistakes and lots of crossing out.

__

Dear Will,

Sorry I have to go like this, but I do. Hope you'll understand. I owe you and you wife a lot. Thank you very much for evrything. Best of luck in evrything you do. Regards.

At the bottom of the paper was the small but distinguishable drawing of a rose.


	2. Rose

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A/N: Sooooo…one year later…dun dun dun! Oh yes, and sorry for not clarifying…chappie one takes place about half a year after PotC. Now, I'm trying very hard not to make Rose a Mary Sue…she's a lot of things, that girl is, but perfect is DEFINITELY not one of them. So she's as quirky, silly, and likeable as I can make her. Especially quirky. ^_^;; Lemme know if I'm succeeding at this, k?

Disclaimer: Do I LOOK like Walt Disney to you?

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~*~ Pirates of the Caribbean: Revenge of the Damned ~*~

~ Chapter Two: Rose ~

Several miles from Port Royale, a rather small boat approached in a loopy way, zigzagging and stopping at odd intervals, almost as if it had a leak. It appeared normal, but if you took a closer look, you would have been surprised to see a tall, slender girl standing on its mast. Looking to be in her late teens, she was clad in dark, loose breeches with one knee torn off, short leather boots, a loose, flowing blouse that had once been white, a dark red vest, a leather belt, and black gloves with the fingers cut off. One of her slender hands was wrapped around the mast; the other, with two rings on it, was on her waist. Her nails were short and rather dirty. A gold chain hung around her neck, tucked into her shirt. Her face was oval-shaped, with distinct features; her deep grey eyes were focused, her nose slightly too large for her face, her lips pressed together in determination, her chin strong and set. A slim scar traced the length of her right cheek. Her dark brown hair was kept away from her face with a dark red bandana; it fell to her shoulders and was half in small braids.

The girl had an air of self-assurance, confidence, and graceful ease; you got the impression that she knew where she was going, what she was doing, and why she was doing it. This was the impression she would have normally given off; unfortunately, being on board a boat that was rapidly leaking didn't do wonders for said impression.

There was no way around it, Rosalìna Glassman decided. She was in trouble.

Rosalìna, or Rose, as she was called, let down a rope and swung into the boat, very narrowly missing falling overboard as she crashed to the deck. "I 'ave GOT to get the 'ang of this piratin' thing," she muttered in annoyance as she climbed back to her feet, assessing the situation. She was lost at sea, with absolutely no idea where she was or could possibly be. Her boat was leaking – you couldn't trust anything stolen these days, she thought, rolling her eyes. And if she didn't get help or to shore soon, her pirating career would be over before it had even begun.

"What a lovely name I'm makin' out for meself already," Rose growled, trying desperately – and futilely – to bail out her boat. "Rose Glassman, th' world's worst pirate."

After several minutes' worth of effort, the girl had to acknowledge that it was all completely useless. All she could do was hope to find shore, or another boat, soon, that she could tread water long enough to wait to be rescued, or that death by drowning wasn't as painful as it sounded. Sighing, she plopped down onto the only dry patch on the deck and thought back to the events that had carried her here.

Rose had grown up in Tortuga, the daughter of a young woman named Katarina Glassman. No one had ever expected Katarina to have a child out of wedlock; she was respected and regarded as a lady, for all she was poor. But have a child out of wedlock Katarina did – two children, in fact, but only one she kept. Rose had never even seen her twin brother – all she knew of him was what Katarina had told her. No one even knew that Katarina had has twins.

Rose had never known her father, either. According to Katarina, he had been a famous pirate who had had numerous great adventures, which always ended in narrow, exciting escapes. He had spent a week in Tortuga seventeen fateful years ago, and during that time Katarina had fallen in love with him. However, after that week, he left, and Katarina had never seen him again. Even at a young age, Rose could tell from her mother's tales that she had loved her father deeply, and she had never gotten over his sudden departure. It had hit Katarina even harder when she found out she was carrying his child; it was a series of emotional blows that Rose was certain had helped drive her to the grave.

Katarina had barely enough money to support herself, but she always put Rose first. She didn't get medicine when she was sick; medicine was expensive, and Rose knew that her mother would have rather died than left her daughter without food or clothing. Because of this, Rose had grown up fairly happy and well cared for, while Katarina had grown steadily sicker and worse. The effect of years' worth of strain showed itself when Katarina died a month after Rose's fifteenth birthday. It left the girl heartbroken and determined to find a life for herself outside of Tortuga.

All of Rose's childhood, she'd heard from her mother about her father's escapades, his grand adventures, and what an amazing man and pirate he was. But at the same time, she'd grown up in the acute reality that he'd left her mother heartbroken and never even seen his daughter. This resulted in a deep admiration, love, and awe for her father that was covered with a fierce grudge and anger against him for what he'd done to Katarina. From the stories of her father's doings, Rose had developed an interest bordering on obsession for the profession of piracy. She loved the idea of people, with no regard for rules or proper life, doing exactly what they wanted, with no one telling them what they could and couldn't do; even at a young age, she'd been unable to sit still and didn't see the reason for most rules. So, once Katarina had died and she'd finished grieving, Rose had gathered what supplies she could, stolen a boat, and left Tortuga in search of her father, intending both to join him and to give him a piece of her mind.

Now, sitting on the deck of a leaky boat in an unusually emotional state, Rose felt a deep pang of shame. Katarina had always wanted her to be a lady. To be elegant, beautiful, wise, follow the rules, and bring pride to the Glassman name – the words had been her mother's constant refrain. Well, Rose reflected, she wasn't particularly elegant, she wasn't at all beautiful, not very wise either, she very rarely followed rules…and sitting in a leaky boat wasn't exactly bringing pride to the Glassman name.

"I've failed ye, Mum," Rose said softly, looking glumly at the water inside the boat, shaking her head. "'m sorry. I swear 'll do whate'er I can to be th' best pirate I can be. 'll find Dad, too. You won't be sorry you 'ad me, Mum…I swear 't."

~*~*~

As the ship, just like the other three Rose had stolen in the past year and a half, sank almost completely into the shallow water next to the Port Royale dock, the girl hopped off the mast and onto the dock, completely unaware that she was tracing the footsteps of her father. "Whoe'er said third time's th' charm must've been off their damn rocker," she muttered in annoyance, shaking the water off of her feet. "Y'd think I'd learn."

Undaunted by her stolen ship's sinking, Rose surveyed the town in front of her. Port Royale. The last time she'd been here, about a year ago, she'd gotten into a bar fight and attempted to rob the general store – while a Navy parade was taking place. Not the wisest of moves, in retrospect. Hopefully, no one would remember her.

"Hoi! You there!"

No such luck, apparently.

Rose froze midstep, turning to face the official, an old, stern-looking man staring at her across glasses perched low on his nose. "Aye, mate?"

The official bristled. "It's a shilling to tie up your boat here."

Rose gave the mast just barely protruding from the water a pointed look. When the official didn't budge, she let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes. "_My_ boat? Alright, mate, f'r one thing, it's not even _my _boat. F'r 'nother, _look _at the bloody thing. 'S almost completely gone under!"

The official raised his eyebrow. "Yes, but it is still at my dock…and at least part of it is still here."

Rose raised her own eyebrow at the official. In a gesture of impulsiveness that she would later regret, she pulled the pistol from her belt, aimed at the ship's mast, and fired, several times. The pieces of the mast that had been showing broke off and fell into the water, sinking with the rest of the ship. Enjoying the horrified look on the officer's face, Rose placed the pistol to her lips. "Not anymore," was her calm reply, as she blew the smoke off the top of her gun.

The official stared at Rose with huge eyes. "That…that…" Calming himself, he drew himself up and glared at the girl. "I shall have to have you placed under arrest, for possession of weapons, deliberate insubordination, and destruction of Port Royale property."

Rose cocked her other eyebrow at the official in disbelief. "What?! Th' boat was practic'ly ruined already! Y'd think they'd make merchandise more sturdy...no one thinks o' thieves 'o 'ave t'deal with faulty stolen goods anymore..."

The official smiled slightly. "So you DID steal that boat."

Rose groaned and slapped herself on the head. She'd been impulsive and thoughtless, again. Katarina would have been mortified. Thinking quickly, Rose did the first thing that came to her mind. She fumbled with her gun and prepared to shoot, pointing it at the official.

She had to think quickly. This was looking like a worse and worse course of action by the second. "Th' way I see it, mate, we got three options," she managed to bluff, struggling to keep her voice light and her eyes steady. She prayed her hands on the pistol weren't shaking. "Option one: I go with ye quietly t' jail and accept whate'er cons'quences find me there." A small smile appeared on her face. "Which I won't e'en consider, so 's out o' th' question.

"Option two. Y'let me go into Port Royale with no trouble whatsoever, an' I'll keep that in mind f'r future ref'rences. I don' plan on 'urtin' anyone, so in my opinion, tha's the best option. But ye really don' plan on listenin' t' me, do ya?

"Option three…you don't let me through, and I fight ye. Attracts a lot of attention, is noisy, and makes me waste ammunition. Not th' best of options, eh, mate?

"So take yer pick." Rose continued to hold the pistol steady. Her tone was stronger now. She may be able to bluff her way through this after all.

"Well, well. Look who's decided to return to Port Royale."

Rose nearly dropped the gun. Whirling, she saw at least twenty officers of the British Royal Navy, armed and in uniform, standing behind a man whose face she'd prayed to God she'd never see again: Commodore Norrington.

"Or you could choose option four…set 'alf a reg'ment from the British Royal Navy after me," she managed weakly. "What IS it with me an' th' Navy?"

"We heard the gunshots and decided to see what was going on," Norrington told the official, who glared at Rose rather nastily. "Good thing we did, it turns out." Norrington's eyes went to the rip in Rose's right sleeve, which exposed her infamous tattoo. "Rose Glassman, isn't it? The…pirate?"

Rose winced slightly. "Pirate in trainin'," she corrected, looking extremely sheepish.

Norrington rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. Drop the gun, Miss Glassman."

Rose glared at him defiantly, fingers clutching the gun even tighter. She wouldn't do it.

Norrington's blue eyes met Rose's dark grey ones squarely. He chuckled softly. "You have got to be the second worst pirate I've ever heard of. First is reserved for your father."

Rose bit the inside of her cheek to keep from doing or saying something she'd regret. Sensing that the comment had hit home, Norrington continued. "You know, you take after your father in so many ways…including your pirating skills…or, shall we say, lack of them." His gaze narrowed. "Like father, like daughter. And it's a pity for you to end up where he eventually will."

Norrington's comments stung, and Rose struggled not to let him see that. However, her stupid pride wouldn't let her be. "Leave me father alone," she said through gritted teeth, and before she knew what she was doing, she'd shot her last bullet straight at Norrington.

The man, naturally, had the presence of mind to duck. The twenty or so soldiers there instantly had their guns out and pointed at Rose. The girl gulped, eyes huge, slowly realizing what a stupid thing she'd done.

She attempted to fire her gun, only to realize it was empty. "Damn!" she yelled, dropped the pistol, and ran for her life.

Behind her, Rose could hear Norrington yell, "Open fire!" A sinking feeling filled her, and she screamed as bullets started raining around her. With both hands over her head as she tore off into Port Royale, those Rose barreled into while running could hear her yell, "I am th' world's _worst _pirate!!"


	3. Meeting

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A/N: Oooh, wow, I'm getting reviews!! *bounces* Eep: O_O I've read SO much better than this, but thank you very much for your kind words, I appreciate it ^^ Ping*Pong5: Thanks...and you'll see, in this one...*cackles*

OK...originally, this was going to be placed with Chapter Two, which is why it's shorter than my first two chappies. But after Chapter Two ended up being so long, I had to make this its own thing. *g* So here we are…and yes, the Elizabeth thing will be explained later, in further detail. Enjoy!

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~*~ Pirates of the Caribbean: Revenge of the Damned ~*~

~ Chapter Three: Meeting ~

The rays of the afternoon sun on his face, normally gentle but now seeming hot and harsh, woke Will Turner that morning. Groaning, he shifted himself, then sat up, his head aching. He didn't want to recall the events that had made the other half of the bed, beside him, empty.

Elizabeth's kidnapping and the attack on Port Royale were as fresh in his mind as if they had happened yesterday – which, in fact, they had. The town, by now used to pirate attacks, had recovered admirably; even a day after the attack, there was barely any sign of it. It had been violent but brief; the second Elizabeth had been placed aboard their ship, the name of which Will hadn't caught, the attack had been called off. Will had done his best to try and fend them off, but a year and a half had gone by since his last pirating venture and he was out of practice, so he'd been knocked out pretty quickly.

Sighing, Will got out of bed. While he dressed, three thoughts stood out clearly in his head. One was that though his head had cooled since the last time Elizabeth had been kidnapped, he didn't love her any less, and was still willing to die for her. Another was that because he loved her, he was going to get her back. No matter what it took. And the final thought was that the best person to ask for help with this venture was no less than Captain Jack Sparrow.

Of course, it remained that he had next to no idea where said pirate was, nor where those who had taken Elizabeth were, but minor setbacks like that weren't going to stop Will.

With a jolt, Will suddenly realized that it was past noon. He'd already missed most of his work day; if he showed up now, he'd be in for it. He was about to tear out of the door and run to work when he realized he wasn't up for work at all. He missed Elizabeth, and wanted some time to think about his course of action for getting her back. He could afford to miss one day of work.

Will grabbed the hat he'd worn the day he last saw Jack; he'd always remembered his friend's compliment of it, and it had become his favorite one. He jammed it onto his head and, slamming the door of his house shut behind him, he stormed out of the door. He'd barely taken a few steps in the direction of the Port Royale docks when he barreled straight into an extremely agitated-looking girl.

"I'm sorry, miss, I didn't see you – "

Will's awkward apology was cut off by a ragged gasp from the girl, followed by several incoherent fragments stammered out in a rough accent. "Oh, God…mate, y've got to 'elp me…they're after me…'elp me, please…"

"Calm down!" Will grabbed the girl's shoulders to steady her. Looking into her dark grey eyes, he was struck by how familiar she looked. Had he met her before? "If I can, I'll try to help you…what's the matter?"

The girl's breathing had slowed, but the panic in her eyes was still there. She gulped in some air, then stammered, "There's not much time…quick, just 'ide me…they're after me…"

Sighing in mild frustration, Will looked around briefly. Noticing an abandoned alley some few meters away, he grabbed the girl's forearm and pulled her into it, hiding them both behind a large wall. The girl let out a huge sigh of relief and sank against the wall, allowing it to hold her up, panting.

"What happened?" Will asked again, giving the girl an odd look.

She looked at him. "Misunderstanding," was all she said, a rougish grin spreading over her face.

Will frowned. There was something familiar about that grin. "Who's after you?" he asked, hoping he didn't look confused.

The girl paused, then, looking extremely sheepish, confessed, "Th' British Royal Navy."

"What?!" Will demanded, completely floored. This girl did definitely not look like the type that would give the Navy any trouble, much less sending them after her. She probably wasn't even 20, for goodness' sakes...then Will tried looking at her; really _looking_ at her. Her chin was strong and set; stubborn, Will thought. Her stance, even against the wall, was confident, almost cocky. There appeared to be an assortment of weapons in her belt. And in her deep grey eyes there was a spark of defiance, mischief, and wild emotion. It caused Will to completely alter his image of the girl. Despite her young age, she was obviously not someone to be reckoned with.

In spite of the realization, Will was again floored when the girl calmly announced, "Aye, they're tryin' to place me under arrest f'r carryin' weapons, destroyin' a Port Royale boat, and shootin' at Commodore Norrington."

"WHAT?!" Will stared at the girl, his eyes huge. She grinned again. Will shook his head – this girl didn't look stupid, but shooting at Commodore Norrington obviously wasn't exactly the best idea. "Maybe I shouldn't be helping you."

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" she quickly interjected, her own eyes growing wide and innocent. "I'm not dang'rous, really, I'm not! Just…o'erenthusiastic."

Will raised an eyebrow. "If that's what you call it…"

She grinned yet again, wider than before, and Will was once again racking his brain to figure out who that grin reminded him of so vividly. "Think they're gone…thanks f'r 'elpin' me out, mate. 'Ppreciate it. What's your name?"

Will studied the girl, trying to figure out how wise it would be to give this strange girl his name. But despite her wild look and obvious impulsiveness, he found himself, oddly, trusting her. Throwing caution to the winds, he replied, "Will Turner."

The girl's jaw dropped. "Mother o' God! I KNEW y'looked familiar!" she gasped, looking at Will as though seeing him for the first time.

Will blinked. "Have we met?"

"Don't ye recognize me?" the girl asked, the huge grin back on her face. When Will shook his head, she rolled up her right sleeve, displaying a tattoo on her upper arm. When Will saw it, he instantly knew.

"_Rose?" _he demanded in disbelief.

The girl's grin grew. "I _knew_ ye'd r'member me!" She threw her arms around a shocked Will, hugging him tightly and briefly, then letting go to beam at him.

Will stared at her, memories of the girl he and Elizabeth had cared for returning. "It really IS you," he said slowly, running a hand through his hair. "How'd you get back to Port Royale? Why'd you come back? And…why'd you leave that morning, after Elizabeth and I took you in?"

"One at a time," Rose laughed, looking extremely pleased. "I 'borrowed' a boat from a friend o' mine - " Will raised an eyebrow; he highly doubted that this "friend" even knew Rose, much less where his boat now was. "Well, with all th' luck I 'ave, it leaked, so I 'ad to stop 'ere f'r a new one, an' some supplies. An'…" Her face grew soft. "I left 'cause I didn't want t' burden you an' 'Lizabeth. Didn't want t' wear out me welcome, so t' speak. Sorry if I worried ye…turned out all righ', didn't I?"

Will chose not to reply to this statement.

"'ve been all o'er th' place lately, I 'ave," Rose announced proudly, beaming. "Learnin' t' be a pirate, just like me dad. Lookin' for 'im, too."

Her statement reminded Will of something. "Your father," he asked tentatively. "You never told me his name before. Rose…who's your father?"

"Me father?" A half-dreamy, half-pained expression crossed Rose's face. "My father's a pirate. One o' th' greatest t' ever sail th' seven seas. 'Ccomplished, always laughin' in th' face o' danger, always calm under pressure. Or so I've 'eard from me mum…ne'er actually met 'im meself." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Me father was…is…" She sighed, looking into the sky with a wistful expression. "Me father's…Cap'n Jack Sparrow."

Will's jaw dropped. For a few seconds he stood there, in an extremely unattractive position, just staring at Rose. THAT was who she had reminded him of. The hair, the expression, the facial shape, the speech, the grin…all of them now practically screamed Jack Sparrow. The only question now was, why the hell hadn't Will realized it sooner?!

Suddenly, Will heard footsteps and saw a glint of silver. "Rose!" he yelled, but before he could say anything, the sword had taken its place at the girl's neck.

Rose's eyes grew huge. They slowly went from Will to the blade at her neck – she gulped loudly – to the man standing next to her, holding the sword.

Commodore Norrington smirked, very slightly, as it was unattractive for a man in his position to gloat too much. "Well, well, well. Looks like _this _Sparrow won't be taking flight anytime soon."

Rose attempted a weak laugh. "Good one, Comm'dore. Sparrow…takin' flight…ow!" Two of the Navy soldiers were snapping chains around her wrists. "Easy there, gentl'men. You're dealin' with a lady 'ere, don' f'get."

Norrington let out something that sounded distinctly like a snort. "Take her away, men." The soldiers made a move to do so, and Rose shot a pleading, desperate look at Will. The look made him want to protect her…the daughter of a man he considered one of his closest friends.

"Commodore," Will spoke, unable to let it go. Norrington turned, dislike on his features. "With all due respect, sir, I think you're making a mistake."

"Yes, well, to you, it was a mistake arresting Jack Sparrow," Norrington retorted, deaf to Rose's hiss of "Captain!_ Captain _Jack Sparrow!" "And it would be just as much of one to let his daughter off." He took another step forward, his voice harder and lower. "You have always associated with pirates and scum of the lowest sort. If you want to get anywhere in society, I advise you to stop." He held Will's furious gaze for another moment, then turned away and raised his voice. "To jail with her, gentlemen."

With those final, condemning words by the Commodore, Rose was dragged away, her desperate dark grey eyes boring into his. All Will could do was watch as the daughter of the one man who may have been able to help him find his beloved wife was dragged away.

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A/N: OK, TELL me you didn't see Rose's parentage coming. XD I am SO predictable. *giggles* Anyway…now that you've done one of the r's, time for the other! *g* A review takes less than a minute to write and it makes me feel great for days! Plus, they inspire me, so I'll write more the more reviews I get… That lovely ickle Review bar is sitting there, lonely and abandoned…won't you give it a click? *puppydog eyes* /shameless self promotion


	4. Jailbreak

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A/N: Oh, look, more reviews O_O;;; I'm honoured and flattered ^^;;;

Ping*Pong5: It's been a day since she was taken; it happened the day before. This chapter should clarify most of it. ^^ Thanks muchly, your words make me happy! :D

Maggie: Yay! I'm not completely obvious!! XD Anyway, thanks for your review, I appreciate it ^^

Eep: Yay, another fan! *giggles* Glad to hear you like it...here's another chapter!

So, here we go…Rose is in jail, Elizabeth's in trouble, and Will's confused…let's see how the story progresses from here. *evil grin* And remember, I am 100% open to plot suggestions!! ^^

Disclaimer: Mine! Mine! My preeeeciouusss…*sees Disney men in black suits approaching* Er…it's Disney's.

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~*~ Pirates of the Caribbean: Revenge of the Damned ~*~

~ Chapter Four: Jailbreak ~

When Will went down to the jail the next morning, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that no one made a move to stop him as he entered. There were no guards at or near Rose's cell, so there would be no one close enough to hear the two talk. Will was relieved; he was out of practice, and he didn't want to have to fight anyone.

Rose, who'd been lying down and tracing patterns in the dirt with her finger, shot to her feet the second she saw Will. "Fin'lly!" she hissed as he approached her cell. "What took ye so bloody long, mate?"

"Sorry," Will replied, grinning. "I couldn't get here yesterday…Norrington was hanging about, would've looked suspicious." Rose nodded. "Speaking of suspicious…why are there no guards at your cell?"

Rose nodded across the hall. Will turned to see a shelf with her weapons perched on it. "'S just out o' me reach," she said gloomily, sitting back down. "An' they think 'cause I'm a girl, I won't cause 'em trouble without me weapons. Sad part is, they're right. I can't." She returned to tracing patterns in the dirt, then without looking up spoke again. "Where's Elizabeth?"

Will stiffened. His breathing slowed down, and he stared straight forward. Rose, sensing that something was wrong, looked up and met his eye. She cocked an eyebrow at him in interest and worry.

Sighing, Will looked down. "They took her."

"Who did?" Rose asked, more curiosity than worry in her tone.

With another sigh, Will sat down in the chair across from Rose's cell and began to recall the painful night two days ago.

"I was coming home from work – I'm a blacksmith," he began. Rose nodded. "And I was walking near the docks when I noticed a strange ship there. I'd never seen it before, and I go by the docks nearly every day. So I stopped to look at it – and there was a pirate flag attached to the mast."

Rose was sitting up straighter now, interested. Will continued. "I was worried, so I went closer to it. About 20 pirates were standing in front of it…probably thinking up a course of action. I arrived just as they took off – about half of them in the direction of the general store, and the other half in the direction of my house. I figured the officials knew what to do in case of pirate attack, so I followed the ones going towards my house.

"I was too late, though." Will clenched his fists. "By the time I got there, they were carrying Elizabeth off. She saw me and called out to me, but…they knocked her out." Fury was creeping into Will's tone. "I tried to go after her…tried to fight the pirates…but I was knocked out in front of my own house."

He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "I was conscious only long enough to get myself back to my bed. I don't know who the pirates where, or where Elizabeth is. I'm going to get her back, though…I just have to."

Rose nodded. Softly, gently, she said, "You're worried…not just 'cause of Elizabeth…but there's somethin' else…"

Will paused, looking straight ahead with a blank expression, then sighed again and turned to meet Rose's glance. "She's pregnant."

Rose, who had been playing with a ball of dirt on the ground, yelped as her hand slipped in surprise and she fell over. Brushing herself off, her eyes widened and she whistled. "Aye…that'd be a problem."

Will nodded. "That's why I've got to get her back as soon as I can…but I'll need some help."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "An' ye think I can 'elp ye?"

"Sort of," Will replied. "I was hoping Jack could help me, actually…he's seen a lot of different pirates, he may know these…"

"And 'cause I'm lookin' for 'im too, ye want me t' come with ye," Rose finished, and Will nodded. "Sounds like a plan t' me, mate…but first…"

"First you tell me about yourself, and how you got here," Will cut her off.

Rose frowned. "I…wasn't goin' t' say that, but that works too, I s'pose…" She smiled, and launched into her story. She started with Katarina's background, then went into how Jack had left, her twin brother, her childhood, her fascination with her father and piracy, Katarina's death (while furiously blinking back tears), and finally, her adventures over the past two years.

"Wow," Will said almost reverently as Rose finished her story with the explanation of why she was in jail. "You're ten years younger than me, and you've gotten into ten times as much trouble."

"An' enjoyed ev'ry moment of it, mate!" the girl announced happily, grinning. "Now…on t' more important matters. Can y' get me out of 'ere?"

"Of course." Will grabbed a bench and placed it at the bottom of the cell door. "Which reminds me…I've been here a while, and no one's come to check on you…shouldn't they have?"

Rose shook her head. "Nah. They think 'm weak and can't do anythin' t' escape, 'member? They don't take me seriously…they don't think 'm dang'rous. Well, just lemme get out o' 'ere and I'll show 'm just 'ow weak an' un-dang'rous I am…" The grin on her face and the glint in her eye were both extremely reminiscent of Jack. "Now get me out," she added, and Will was reminded of how her father had stood in the same cell, saying the same words to him.

Will pressed down on the bench, popping the door up, then tossed the bench aside. "Let's go." He took off for the door as Rose grabbed her weapons, placing them each in his belt and in various sheaths hidden in her sleeves, and tore after him.

~*~*~

"I can't believe we got out so easy!" Rose crowed as she and Will ran to the docks.

"Hush," Will warned her. "We're not safe yet."

"Aye, mate," Rose agreed, winking. "You got a plan?"

Come to think of it, he didn't. "Have you got any ideas?"

"Well, we'll need a boat," Rose commented. "Pref'rably a big one. Then I s'pose we'll just sail 'til we find 'im." She wasn't really comfortable with calling Jack Father yet, but it seemed like blasphemy to refer to him by his name. "Got any idea where 'e may be?"

"Tortuga," was Will's instant reply. It was Jack's favorite place, hands down.

Rose groaned. "Aw, mate, I don't want t' go back t' Tortuga…"

"You want to find your father, don't you?" was Will's retort as they reached the docks, trying to stay out of sight. Without waiting for the girl's reply, he added, remembering the term Jack had used, "So we're going to commandeer a ship?"

Rose looked at him as if he were an idiot. "No. We're goin' t' _steal _a ship."

Will rolled his eyes. "My mistake."

"So, which one'll it be?" Rose looked over each ship critically. Her gaze finally stopped on the Interceptor II, the replica of the ship that had been blown up on Will's last Carribean adventure, and she whistled. "I want THAT one," she declared, looking the ship up and down in obvious admiration.

Will raised his eyebrow. "It's guarded."

Rose gave him the "You are such an idiot" look again. "So?"

"It'll be hard to get to."

"So?"

"There are others that are almost as good that we can get to easier."

"So?"

Will sighed and shook his head. "You infuriate me," he remarked.

Rose grinned. "Thanks."

"That's not a good thing."

"'O says, mate?" She winked at him. "Now, I'll create a diversion, an' take care o' the guards, while you get on board and toss me a line, savvy?"

It was odd for Will, hearing the word he was so used to Jack saying in a female voice. He wondered briefly if Rose's mother had taught it to her daughter at an early age because she liked hearing Jack say it. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he nodded at Rose. Without another word, the girl hopped off towards the Interceptor, and Will could only slowly make his way towards the ship, praying she knew what she was doing.

~*~*~

Rose, as it were, had no idea what she was doing.

She ran towards the four bored-looking guards standing near the Interceptor II, slowing her speed as she got close to them. "Oy, fellas!" she yelled at them, stifling laughter as they jerked to attention, nearly tripping over each other in an attempt to gauge where the voice was coming from. She patiently waited until they noticed her before ripping the torn seams at her right sleeve to display her rose tattoo prominently.

The fattest guard noticed it first. "'Ey! That's the one s'posed to be in jail right now!"

"'Ow pe'ceptive of ye, mate," Rose retorted, executing a sweeping bow.

The tallest guard scratched his head, still not comprehending. "If you're s'posed to be in jail…'ow come you're not there?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "'O would've guessed. Th' downfall o' civilization as we know it begins with th' British Navy." Shaking her head, she faced the tall guard. "One word, mate. Jailbreak."

The effect was instant. "JAILBREAK!!!" called the guards in alarm. The tall one pushed the fat one. "Go see if the other prisoners escaped!!" The fat one ran off right away while Rose watched in amusement. The grin was wiped off her face, though, as the remaining three guards raised their guns to points straight at her.

It was at this point that Rose really, really wished she had a plan.

"Now, now…'s all this violence really necessary in our lives?" she attempted, holding both hands up as she was backed against a pulley. That's when she noticed the other pulley pole close to the edge of the docks – and Will climbing on board the Interceptor unnoticed.

The medium-sized guard poked her in the shoulder with his gun. Rose made a face. "Now that's REALLY not very nice, mate…" Her hand began to creep towards her belt.

"So says you, the _pirate!"_ scoffed the guard in reply, poking harder.

Rose glared at him, her hand edging further towards the pistol in her own belt. "Pirate in _trainin', _mate," she corrected, her hand on the trigger. "Get it right fer once!" With that, she grabbed the pistol from her belt and fired, straight into the air.

As she'd been hoping, the shot distracted the guards; all three of them looked up. Relieved, Rose began to run.

She'd gotten within four feet of the other pole when the guards noticed her again. She heard yelling, but didn't attempt to decipher any of it. She grabbed the rope of the pulley and hooked it around her waist, then kicked at the levers to make them pull her up. Pull her up they did, at an alarming speed; Rose closed her eyes tightly as she found herself dangling in midair near the top of the pole, gunshots flying around her.

Quickly realizing that one of them may sever her rope, Rose unhooked the rope, grabbing hold of the pole. Hearing someone call her name, she turned to see Will at the wheel the Interceptor. He tossed her a rope and she grabbed it, praying fiercely. Entrusting her weight to the air, she squeezed her eyes shut and screamed as she flew forward onto the Interceptor in the middle of gunfire, sprawling to the ground at Will's feet. He rolled his eyes, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to her feet.

Once she'd clambored to her feet awkwardly, Rose wasted no time in yelling in Will's ear, "RAISE TH' ANCHOR!!!" Covering his ears, Will ran to do so.

Rose ran to the side of the boat, her heart in her throat as the three guards approached the Interceptor. Any minute now, they'd board it. "WILL, YOU BLOODY…RAISE TH' GODDAMN ANCHOR!!! 'URRY!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, watching with increasing uneasiness as the guards got closer to the ship.

After what felt like an eternity, the anchor was finally up. The brisk, constant wind caught the sails of the Interceptor, and Rose could feel the ship moving. She grinned, allowing herself one last look at the guards' infuriated and confused faces, before approaching Will at the wheel.

"Well, that went well," he commented, and Rose grinned.

"Y' know th' way t' Tortuga, mate?" Will shook his head; the girl raised her head skyward and gave him a gentle push out of the way. "Then f'r God's sake lemme at th' wheel! I could find me way 'ome from 'cross th' sea…" She placed her hands almost reverently on the wheel, then pulled a compass from her pocket and began to navigate. "Tortuga…'ome, sweet, 'ome," she said under her breath sarcastically. She then spoke louder. "So, Will, mate, 'ow'd your like yer first taste o' trouble in a year and an 'alf? Feel like gettin' into any more?"

Will's reply was punctuated with a laugh. "If I'm around you, Rose, I don't see how I can help it."


	5. An Unexpected Complication

A/N: Wow, loooooong time no update...anyway...Eep, much thanks! :D Yay, Captain Jack will be making his appearance next chapter :D And after Chapter Seven, I think I'll be winging it…so the time is now for any suggestions! =D And yes, this chapter's kinda short…it's more of a transition thingie. ::g::

Disclaimer: THEY'RE NOT MINE, DARNIT!! The rowboat conversation was inspired by The Road to El Dorado.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Revenge of the Damned

Chapter Five: An Unexpected Complication

Rose was enjoying the spray of the sea on her face, the wind blowing through her dark hair, the feel of the smooth wood wheel beneath her hands, when she heard Will's voice behind her say, "Shit."

Making a face, the girl turned to see him at the side of the ship, looking at something. "What was that, mate?"

Will whirled around, looking embarrassed, nervous, and fearful at the same time. "…Nothing."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Mate, when an upstandin' gentleman such as y'self allows a word like that t' escape 'im, 'nothin'' 's usually not th' case."

Will managed a small smile, then gestured in the direction of Port Royale. Rose leaned over to see, sails billowing in the wind, flag with the Navy insignia flapping over it, the HMS Dauntless, practically flying across the water – and headed straight for them.

Rose's eyes widened. Her mouth opened slightly, and it took her a few seconds to get herself out of shock. "Yeah," she managed, eyes still fixed on the Dauntless. "That…that may qualify as 'shit'."

Will let out a soft snort, then became concerned again. Rose was looking mildly horrified. "What d' we do, mate?"

"Don't worry," he replied, his tone not very reassuring. "This is the fastest ship in the Caribbean."

Rose's face plainly showed her fear. "Yeah, but that's when it's not bein' captained by a seventeen-year-old girl 'o 'asn't steered a ship in a year…"

Will's face mirrored the fear on Rose's. "You've...got a point there…"

Rose's hands flew on the wheel, trying to make the ship go faster, knowing that she couldn't, struggling to control her emotions. Their journey was going to be over so soon after it had begun…she felt like she'd failed Will.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Will placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. It was a caring gesture, but as Rose could feel his hand trembling, it wasn't very comforting. She managed the smallest of smiles.

The two did all that they could to make the ship go faster, and it was an admirable effort, but inevitably, the Dauntless did catch up. It seemed to take almost no time at all for the men on board to come onto the Interceptor, and Norrington himself held the sword to Rose's neck once more.

"Y'know, Commodore, it's lovely, seein' so much of each other nowadays," Rose managed weakly, placing an unconvincing grin on her face.

Norrington responded by pressing the steel of the sword a little closer to her neck, almost breaking the skin. It sobered Rose up quickly.

"C'mon, mate…you're a reasonable fellow…we needed the ship…you can 'ave it back if y' let us go…please…we really need t' get goin'…"

"Stealing a ship and escaping from jail," Norrington said, not appearing to hear a word Rose was saying. "Grounds for a very long sentence…very long, Miss Glassman."

"Y' got t' 'ear me out, mate!" she protested again, her voice growing weaker as she realized slowly that it wasn't going to work.

Will joined her protests. "Commodore, it was an emergency, Elizabeth – "

As if the name caused him pain to hear, Norrington's face contracted briefly, then he continued, undaunted. "Sentences for both of you…yes, long ones…you won't be making escapades like this again anytime soon…I'll make sure of that myself."

"Commodore," Will tried for a last time, "I really must protest…"

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE, MISTER TURNER!" snapped Norrington, whirling to face Will with a look of complete exasperation on his face. His tone made Will abruptly swallow whatever reply he was thinking of making.

"Clap these two in irons and place them in the dungeons, gentlemen," Norrington ordered coolly. "And set course for Port Royale immediately." His orders were followed, and Rose found herself being roughly yanked to be placed in chains. She shot one last desperate look at Will before the two were carted off to the dungeons – it was a heartbreaking look of failure and despair.

_:::::::_

"'m sorry, mate," Rose said softly.

Will turned to look at the girl in the cell next to his. "Why?"

"All this was my fault." She gestured bitterly at the firmly locked cells below deck on the Interceptor, now moving back towards Port Royale. "If I 'adn't been such an idiot, wantin' t' take th' Interceptor, an' not seein' clearly enough t' know Norrington would come after it, this ne'er would've 'appened."

"It's not your fault, Rose," Will said gently, trying to comfort the girl. She'd seemed so strong and confident, he'd suspected she really had no fear. Now, he saw that she did.

"An' if I 'adn't shot at Norrington or th' ship in th' first place, I wouldn't 'ave gotten meself put in jail," Rose continued, ignoring Will. "'s all me fault. 'S always me bloody fault. Can't I do _anythin' _right?"

"Rose, it's not your fault," Will said again, firmly.

"YES IT BLOODY IS!" Rose yelled, turning to face him. He was startled to see tears forming in the girl's stormy grey eyes. "It's my fault I got thrown in jail. My fault we're both 'ere. My fault if somethin' 'appens to Elizabeth 'cause you weren't there. My fault if I don' see Dad…" Her voice faltered, and she sank to the ground. "I'm such an idiot…'s all my fault…can't do anythin' right. Mum would be so ashamed…and Dad…" Letting out a choked sob, Rose buried her face in her arms and burst into tears.

It struck Will that, for all her bravado, humor, and cockiness, Rose was still just a kid. She hadn't done that much in her short life, and she was afraid of failure, of not being all that she expected herself to be. To cover it up, she acted overly confident, only to crash and burn when something like this happened. In her dark eyes, Will had seen pain, exhaustion, despair, and failure. She felt like there was no way out now. It filled Will with an inexplicable sense of wanting to comfort her; he supposed it was his parental instincts.

Will didn't know what to do, so he just let Rose cry for a few minutes. When her sobs became softer and less frequent, he said softly, "It's not over yet."

Rose raised her face; her eyes were red, her cheeks tear-streaked. She wiped her face on her blouse sleeve – the one that wasn't ripped – and looked back at Will, smiling tearfully. "Sorry f'r goin' t' pieces like that…I 'aven't cried in two years…since Mum died." She shook her head. "People'll think 'm goin' soft."

Will smiled at her. "It's all right, Rose. But we should pull ourselves together if we're going to find a way out of here."

"A way out?" Rose raised both eyebrows. "Am I 'earin' ye correctly, mate?"

"Yes, you are. We're going to escape."

"'Ow's that?" Rose had only one eyebrow raised now. "We got no key, we're goin' t' be guarded, an' we got no boat."

"Here's how," Will said in a low voice, leaning over to the wall between their cells. "The ship's almost completely abandoned at night, right? Except for the few people still on moving it." Rose nodded. "The guard will probably fall asleep fairly close to the cell. If we can get to the keys without making too much noise, we'll be able to 'commandeer' a rowboat and get off the ship before anyone notices we're gone."

Rose's eyebrow remained raised. "So ye want us t' sneak out, late at night, when ever'one's asleep, steal a rowboat, an' go t' Tortuga?"

Will nodded.

"Jus' th' two o' us?"

He nodded again.

"To Tortuga?"

He nodded.

"In a _rowboat?"_

He nodded once again.

Rose paused. "I don' see why not."

Will grinned in relief. He should have known that Jack's daughter would accept an idea as crazy as that. His own thinking worried him a little – it made him realize how much of an influence Jack had had on him, even close to two years after he'd met the pirate.

"It'll 'ave t' be early in th' mornin', though," Rose added, stretching. "We won't be able t' see a thing if we go at night, plus we'll be tired. Let's each sleep an hour, then wake th' other, 'til it just starts t' get light. Then we c'n steal th' key and make a run f'r it."

Will nodded; her suggestion made sense. Rose beamed at him. "'m glad I met ye, mate."

"I'm glad I met you too." Will smiled at the younger girl warmly, then gestured towards the ground. "Now get some sleep. You need it more than I do. I'll wake you soon." Without protest, she curled up into a ball and closed her eyes, leaving Will to ponder Elizabeth's location, what Jack was doing right now, and the mechanics of the awkward escape plan he'd come up with.

_:::::::_

To the considerable surprise of both parties involved, the early stages of the plan worked like a charm. The guard, as Will had predicted, fell asleep a little too close to the young man's cell. As soon as snores were heard from his direction, with the help of Rose's bandana and dagger, he was able to construct a rope of sorts and pull the keys off of the guard's belt loop. Once the sky they could see from a small hole in each of their cell walls had turned light, they each unlocked their cells and quietly made their way up to the deck.

From there, Will, who knew the ship best as he'd "commandeered" the original, was the one to locate the rowboats and climb into one, ready to lower it. Of course, Rose chose that moment not to be around.

A quick scan of the deck located the dratted girl to be playing with something near the helm of the ship. "Rose! What are you _doing?" _Will hissed urgently.

The girl looked up and grinned. "Disablin' th' rudder chain. They won't be able t' turn th' ship t' chase us if they find out we're gone."

Will grinned reluctantly. You had to hand it to her.

Finally finishing with her task, Rose hopped into the boat next to Will. "Got th' oars?" Getting a nod from her companion, the girl gestured for him to lower the craft.

In less than fifteen minutes, the rowboat was in the waters, Will and Rose each had an oar in their hands, and they were slowly paddling away from the Interceptor. The sun was just beginning to shine down on the warm waters of the Caribbean.

"We did it," Will said, stunned.

Rose laughed at the tone of his voice. "I know. Can't b'lieve it either, mate."

The two slapped hands and, flushed with success and relief, began to row their way to Tortuga…and Captain Jack Sparrow.


End file.
